Saturday, September 26, 2015

The daughter of the Terran president, Penelope Aaron resented the restrictions imposed upon her, but that was no reason to take it out on the man assigned to protect her. She regrets how she got Agent Brock Mann booted from the security force. But now that she’s an interplanetary ambassador about to embark on her first diplomatic mission, she still doesn’t want him tagging along. Especially since he seems to be stronger, faster, more muscled, and sexier than she remembers. And pretending to be her husband? This mission couldn’t get more impossible!

Ten years ago Penelope Isabella Aaron had been a pain in Brock Mann’s you-know-what. Much has changed in a decade: “PIA” as he code-named her, has grown up and is about to attend her first Alliance of Planets summit conference, and Brock was transformed into a cyborg after a near-fatal attack. Now a secret agent with Cyber Operations, a covert paramilitary organization, Brock gets called in, not when the going gets tough, but when the going gets impossible. So when he’s unexpectedly assigned to escort Penelope to the summit meeting, he balks at babysitting a prissy ambassador. But after a terrorist bombing, a crash landing on a hostile planet, and a growing attraction to his protectee, Operation: PIA may become his most impossible assignment yet.

Available for purchase at

Excerpt

“What was so
urgent it couldn’t wait until I got back from Darius 4?” Brock flung himself
into the wide sensa-chair, which conformed to the angles and lines of his body
to provide optimal support and comfort. He would have preferred an android
pleasure worker fit her realistic feminine form around him rather than a piece
of furniture—as he’d been about to experience when the Cyber Operations
director’s summons had come through. “You’re the one who insisted I take
respite time.”

“Drink?” Carter
punched a button on his console, a cabinet slid open, and he removed a
decanter. After pouring two shots of bronze liqueur, he shoved one across the
desk.

“Whenever you
break out the Cerinian brandy, you’re either trying to butter me up or
soften the blow.” He eyed the man who’d been his friend since they’d served
together in the Terran Central Protection Office thirteen years ago. Carter’s
blank expression betrayed nothing, but the brandy sang like a yellow songbird.

The director
knocked back his shot then thumped his chest with his fist. Cerinian brandy
went down smooth until the afterburn lit your throat on fire. Or it did to one
who was unaltered. Brock swallowed his and felt only slight warmth.

“I have an
assignment for you,” Carter said, his voice hoarse from the liqueur. “The
Association of Planets Summit is on Malodonus next week. There’s been a threat
against…the Terran ambassador.” He hesitated like he expected Brock to
short-circuit a computer chip.

After five years
without a day off, Brock had been ordered to take R & R or be reassigned to
desk duty. His irritation with the edict had been relieved somewhat when he’d
arrived at the Darius 4 pleasure resort and discovered the android sex workers
were almost lifelike.

First Carter told
him to go then he recalled him. Brock wouldn’t blow any gaskets, but he was
irked. Quit jerking me around. “What government official hasn’t received
a threat? It’s part of the job. What’s so special about this case?” He shifted
in the sensa-chair so its fingers could massage his lower spine.

“According to
intel, Lamis-Odg is involved.”

Lamis-Odg had
contributed nothing significant or positive toward the advancement of society
in thousands of years yet opposed the AOP’s goal to draw the peoples of the
galaxy into an alliance. Historically, the backwater planet had been more
bluster than bite but, in recent years, had resorted to terrorism to intimidate
its adversaries.

Brock flexed his
right hand. “How certain is the threat?”

About the Author

Multi-published, Cara Bristol is the author of more than 20 erotic romance titles. She writes science fiction romance, contemporary romance, paranormal, and spanking romance. No matter what the subgenre, one thing remains constant: her emphasis on character-driven seriously hot erotic stories with sizzling chemistry between the hero and heroine. Cara has lived many places in the United States, but currently lives in Missouri with her husband. She has two grown stepkids. When she’s not writing, she enjoys reading and traveling.

Leading his pack of werewolves
keeps Vincent plenty busy, and now with a predator out to harm them, life is
more perilous than ever. The last thing he needs is a woman to complicate
matters, especially one who sets his body and soul on fire. She's a human and a
witch — totally the wrong woman for him. Even if he could take a mate for his
own, he refuses to put her in the danger his life has become. No way can they
ever be together. Werewolf-style love is fine anyway. No permanent partner, no
bullshit, no heartache.

Genevieve has never known true
love. Cursed by an enraged woman long ago, females in her family are doomed to
go insane if they fall in love. Life has been fine without a man around-- until
a hot werewolf drops in and captures her heart. Though they have plenty of
obstacles to overcome, Gen knows they can work past them. Tell that to Vincent,
as he struggles with old pack rules about love, sex, and consorting with
humans.

As Vincent searches for a killer,
deals with death among his own, and tries to keep his hands off Gen, she
attempts to end her family curse. Together, they must find a way to break free
from the sins of long ago.

He smiled, a look that
set her pulse racing and heat forming between her legs. “I took a look around
the parking lot first and came in the side entrance. Sorry, occupational habit.
Trade me seats—I don’t like my back to the door.”

Genevieve looked at him
for a moment. He really was one fine-looking man. His hair curled over his
jacket collar just a little, and a five-o’clock shadow dusted his jaw. Did he
ever let his facial hair grow out? She could picture him with a beard, maybe
even a mustache. Could feel hair tickling her thighs as he…

She shook her head
slightly. Hottie or not, his tone of command didn’t work with this girl. No guy
told her where to sit or gave her any other order. Her displeasure must have
shown loud and clear on her face because his smile faded a notch.

“Or we could both sit on
this side together.”

“No, that’s okay. I’ll
move.” Relax. No reason to make a
fuss. He was used to giving orders, used to sitting facing the door. Don’t make
an issue out of nothing.

She scooted out and slid
in on the other side. “I got here a little early and ordered a drink.”

“So I see. Who is our
server?” Vincent looked around.

Just then a woman
stopped by their table and handed them menus. “What can I get you to drink?”
she asked Vincent.

Vincent turned to her
and flashed that smile again.

“What do you have on
tap, darlin’?”

Apparently, she wasn’t
the only one affected by his charm. Gen watched in amazement as the woman, who
had been brisk and professional when taking her drink order suddenly turned
into a nineteen-year-old college girl. A horny college girl. She leaned to one
side, jutted out her hip, stuck her pen cap in her mouth and giggled, staring at
Vincent. His smile broadened.

“Drink list?” Gen asked
as the woman ran a tongue over her bottom lip, still gazing at Vincent.

“My name is Chloe. I’ll
be your server tonight.” She giggled again then managed to tell them the beers
on draft.

“You made quite an
impression on her,” Genevieve said.

“It’s a wolf thing.”
Vincent shifted in his seat. “We send out pheromones a lot of the time
especially when we’re…” He stopped and tugged the collar of his shirt.

“What?”

“When we’re, ah, when we
have emotions.”

“When you have emotions?
Don’t you always have emotions?”

“When they’re stronger
than other times. We should look at our menus.” He grabbed his and buried his
nose in the pages.

Smooth
move, girl. Embarrass the guy, why don’t you? Genevieve snatched her menu off the table and hid
behind it also. It hadn’t been this hard to talk to Vincent the last time they
were together, or during any of their escapades the past few weeks. Of course,
they weren’t exactly spending time together as a couple, just hunting down bad
guys. Was this sexual tension rearing its hot, horny head?

She must be feeling the
effects of his male hormones too, because her nipples had hardened, and the
heat between her legs had grown more intense as soon as he sat down. An image
of Vincent naked and coming out of a shower flashed through her mind. Holy
hell, where had that come from? Menu,
food, concentrate.

They both studied the
menu intently, and Vincent looked relieved when Chloe brought his drink and
took their order.

“Have you found out any
more about the person attacking the weres?” Genevieve asked. Someone had given
two shape-shifters a drug, causing them to shift unnaturally. Her friend
Morgan, the new veterinarian in town, was involved along with another werewolf—Dylan,
Morgan’s new lover.

“I just got a text from
Dylan; he and Morgan have located Colin Sysco.”

“Where?”

“A little ways outside
of Nocturne. They’re going to check out his place now.”

“And you’re not going
with them?”

“No, I’m not. I’m having
dinner with you. Dylan and Morgan are only going to scope out the situation. I
told them not to get involved.”

“You know, Morgan is
pretty pissed at this guy. Do you really think she’s not going to want to go
after him?”

Naomi lives in sunny Florida with
the love of her life and a magical calico cat. She writes for various fiction
and non-fiction markets but is drawn to romance because her characters insist
on canoodling and falling in love. So she lets them. Her interests include
dancing, motorcycle riding, drumming and creating healthy meals. She takes the
opportunity to play whenever possible.

For centuries, Cormack has lived
between worlds—a man trapped in the body of a wolf, shunned by humans and
shifters alike. Only one person has ever welcomed his company: Elen, a kindred
outcast who is feared by others of her ancient Celtic race for her strange
healing abilities.

Cormack has always valued Elen’s
kindness and understanding, but after a desperate act of friendship causes Elen
to free him from his curse, he realizes he wants more. He wants all of
her—completely and forever. Except before Cormack can win Elen’s heart,
Pendaran, the evil leader of the Guardians, captures her, determined to
manipulate her incredible power to aid him in his twisted war against the
shapeshifting tribes.

Now Cormack must use all of his
skills as a warrior and a wolf to save the woman he loves—before Pendaran’s
vile schemes destroy them all…

Too wired to sleep, Elen opened
the wine and poured a glass, sipping quietly as she walked over to the
bed. Cormack slept above the coverlet
and on his back, with one arm raised over his head, while the other rested by
his side. His hair was still damp from
his shower, and he wore jeans but no shirt, as if he’d just rested his head and
sleep claimed him first.

His chest rose and fell with even
breaths. She was not one to marvel over
physical attributes, but this was Cormack, and his body was meant for pleasure,
like a goddess had molded him for her personal divine gratification. His frame was large, and toned, with wide
shoulders and a firm chest that tapered down to his hips. His hardened stomach would provide the perfect
friction were she to ride him just like this.

And as that image flooded her
mind, another, more wicked one, followed.
It was greedy, and selfish, but all her niceness had been used up for
the day. He looked peaceful, and
innocent, but the man was practically immortal after all. Their kind did not die from lack of
sleep. They might go mad, of course, but
that took a few weeks. And had he not
said, do with me as you will?

She needed to touch him. That was all.
Well, no, she wanted more, but for now that would do. Taking a sip of her wine, she gently set the
glass on an end table by the bed, and gave into temptation. Starting by his heart, she brushed lightly
across his chest, tracing down the indent between, and lingering on the valleys
and curves of his muscles. Flattening
her hand over his stomach, she felt the soft hair that began just above the
waistband of his jeans and disappeared below.
She had never seen him in this restful state, at least not in his human
form, and took in her ravenous fill.

Her hand lingered over the button
of his jeans. She swallowed, wanting…
Oh, how she wanted. It burned like
molten earth, fed by a need that had been denied for too long. Even now she felt her body moisten and swell
just from imagining what waited beyond that closure, and how it would feel
inside her.

Or how it would taste.

She thumbed the button. A quick flick was all it would take.

A sound made her jolt, an intake
of breath perhaps, followed by a sudden rise under her hands. She snapped her eyes to his face.

Cormack was awake.

And watching her.

A fire raged within his cerulean
gaze. “Kill me now if you stop, Elen,
because then I’ll know I’m well and truly cursed and I cannot be tortured
anymore.”

Jan DeLima is the author of the
Celtic Wolves novels, including Summer Moon and Celtic Moon. She lives in Maine
with her husband and their two sons. Unlike many authors, Jan didn’t pen
stories at an early age, but she has always been a dedicated reader. It wasn’t until after her children entered
school that she began writing. Raised in a military family, she lived in
different countries such as Thailand and Germany, but home base has always been
Maine.

Viking was not sure what to do
with himself with Gwen in Montana. That is until his path crosses with Mia's.
She is a beautiful sensitive who is being haunted by a strange being Viking has
never heard of.

Mia Jones might not have an
exciting life as the owner of an independent book store, but she is okay with
that. Then she meets Viking and it is as if her life goes tumbling down a
rabbit hole.

Mia and Viking must pull together
to fight off the being that is haunting her. As Mia adjust to the Night World
it appears this being might not be working along.

Excerpt

Viking's heart beat four times its
natural pace. At the same time his breathing stopped. He didn't have it in him
to move. The shock was overwhelming. He hadn't even realized Poet came out from
behind the registers until the other man grabbed his shoulder.

"Viking, Viking?"

It was then he finally turned his head
from where Mia had been moments before. Looking at his third in command he
could see the shock on the other man's face.

"Though you are strange. And your
abilities are far beyond that of a Warrior. I would bet money you just felt the
Flash."

Viking didn't respond. He didn't really
need to. Poet had been around Viking long enough to know his expressions. He
couldn't hide it. And he wasn't sure how to cover it up. He just felt the
Flash. The warning bell that announced to a Warrior he just met his mate. Not
just met his mate but touched her, flesh to flesh.

Viking had been around centuries and now
here she was. Some woman he just happened to come across. He had been
interested in her. Knowing there was something special about her. Could that
have been it? Could he have known she was his mate without touching her? He
blinked several times before turning towards the door again. That couldn't have
been it, could it?

He turned towards Poet. The other man blanked
his face.

"Yes, I did." Just saying it
out loud seemed overwhelming. He didn't know what to do. Where to go. He didn't
know how to find that woman.

Before he realized what he was doing
Viking was out the shop door and looking down the street. He scanned both ways
and jogged to the end of either block. He had no idea how long he stood there
staring but clearly it was long enough for her to get her car and leave.
Cursing himself repeatedly he walked back into the store. Several of the
employees gave him funny looks. He ignored them and headed straight out the
back doors.

There was only one person he could think
of to talk to. Once he exited the back door of the shop. Into the staff only
area he didn't stop his momentum, he ran up the stairs. Taking them several at
a time. He didn't slow until he burst out the door on the top floor. He yanked
out his keys in a jerky motion and unlocked Gwen's apartment. Slamming the door
behind him he went and sat down in her favorite oversized chair. He tried to
calm his pulse and his breathing. He needed to talk to Gwen.

He had never tried to reach her from so far
away before. He wasn't entirely sure if it would work. She was supposed to be
on her honeymoon, as it were, but he knew she would understand why he would call.

"Little
One! Little One can you hear me?" He was yelling it so loud in his head
the only thing louder was his racing heartbeat.

He concentrated on his breathing as he
waited. If he could calm his body down, maybe he would have a better chance of
reaching her.

"Viking?
Viking is that you? What's wrong? What's happened? Is everyone okay?" The worry and
fear in her tone was clear as a bell. It overrode the sleepiness he heard.

Viking took another deep breath before
answering. "Everyone's fine.
Everything is fine. I just. I just needed to talk to you. I needed to hear your
voice."

"What's
happened? Viking you tell me right now or I'm walking out the bedroom door to
find August and making him call over there to tell me what's wrong."

Viking knew that was an empty threat.
Gwen would not stoop to chasing down her husband, who could be doing important
political business just so he would answer her question.

He blew a few random strands of hair
from his face. Gwen could always tell when something was wrong. She'd gotten
good at reading every single one of his micro-expressions in the two decades
they'd been together.

"I felt the
Flash."
He didn't even get out an entire thought before she answered.

"You what?!
Who is she? I'm coming home right now. I will be on the next flight to
Seattle."

This is why Viking loved Gwen so much.
She had such a big heart. She would drop everything if she felt someone needed
her.

"That is
not necessary Little One. She's someone I met paying off the debt to Lucia.
There is no need for you to come home before your proper honeymoon has begun
just to sit with me."

If he was honest with himself there was
nothing Viking wanted more than having the woman he had grown to think of as
his little sister by his side through this trying ordeal.

"Don’t be
ridiculous. I'll be there in the morning. One of you guys are to pick me up
from the airport. I'll text you the flight information as soon as I have
it."

With that last statement he almost
physically felt her disconnect from him. And he knew at that point the argument
was over. He couldn't convince her not to come. Not that he really wanted to.
He would be grateful to see her. He and all the other Warriors missed her
terribly. She meant a lot to a lot of people. He had been eternally grateful when
Cesar agreed to move part of the Warrior government to Washington State so she
could be near the people she loved.

Closing his eyes to the room around him,
Viking concentrated on his breathing. The next few days were going to be
difficult. He had to somehow woo a woman he didn't even know. It had been
longer than he cared to admit since he had been up for such a challenge. He was
going to take the opportunity while his head was still relatively clear to
meditate and relax his body. Hopefully, ward off some of the initial effects of
the Maddening.

When the Flash hit, a Warrior only had
three days to bed his mate. If he didn’t, the Warrior in question would be
driven insane by the overwhelming lust that came over him during that three day
period, or as it was usually referred to, the Maddening.

During the Maddening, the Warrior would
experience physical pain when away from his mate. He would lose his senses
should she be injured or touched by any other male. Warriors tended to stay
away from those in the Maddening or in the first stage of mating while all the
Maddening symptoms lowered to the tolerable level mated Warriors dealt with.
The first stage of mating could last anywhere from three months to a year,
depending on the Warrior. The more the Warrior bedded his mate in that first
stage, the easier it would be for him to handle the symptoms. Viking wasn't
sure how to get a near stranger to sleep with him once, let alone multiple
times over the coming months.

Gretchen is a Seattleite that
loves her home. She has a day job as a Program Coordinator a local university.
She is a struggling Indie Author, struggling as in she is trying to make her
living writing books. She loves to read,
write and create characters. As well as knit and binge watch Netflix.
She is also on a sporadic book blog and internet radio show with some of her
college friends. She currently lives with her husband and their mischievous
Rotti mix, who always seems to find something new she shouldn't be chewing on.

Historian and ancestry website
owner, Cassie first became interested in her long lost Broun clan when she
realized life was about to change forever. Faced with possible blindness, she
seeks out her Scottish bloodline only to discover there is so much more to it
than she could have anticipated. Not only will she find answers to her
questions but a doorway into the distant past via a Claddagh ring.

Betrothed since birth to a lass
he has never met, Chieftain Logan MacLomain thought the unending tie between
his clan and the Brouns was long past. Never was he more wrong. When Cassie
appears in a skirmish on the border of his clan’s land, all his noble
intentions are put to the test. To desire her is wrong but still he seeks her
out every chance he gets. Just a glimpse of her passing smile brightens the
honorable yet lonely path he must see through.

Everything changes for Cassie and
Logan the day war ravages a nearby village and a young king’s fate is put at
risk. Scotland’s future hangs in the balance as denied love blossoms and four
MacLomain warriors band together to save all that might soon be lost. Set to
avenge the harm done, Logan embarks on a quest with Cassie that will take them
both down a road fraught with risk, heartache and the beginning of an end they
never saw coming.

Cassie nodded
and as they’d done the past couple of nights, they settled into comfortable
conversation. She was a pleasure to chat with. Though humble, she possessed a
sharp wit. He suspected had she pursued any of her college majors, she would
have excelled.

Yet the more he
got to know her the more he sensed she lived her life a certain way…as if she
knew its outcome already. Almost like someone planning to move to another
country and preparing themselves for a different language and customs.
Eventually, he intended to find out exactly what she was getting ready for.
Whatever it was, it had her purposely changing subjects on a somewhat regular
basis.

As he figured
she would, Cassie eventually said, “Why are we eating separately from everyone
tonight?”

Though tempted
to say it was unintentional, he would be lying. The truth was he wanted her all
to himself. “‘Twas a trying experience earlier. I thought you might want some
privacy to relax.”

She arched her
brow and offered a lopsided grin. “Yet you’re here.”

“Well, you
cannae be alone in these woods, lass.” He polished off his meat and leaned back
on his hands so that his shoulder was almost against hers. Voice lowered, he
said, “And I’ll admit to wanting to spend some time alone with you. ‘Tis a
luxury I rarely get.”

“Ah.” This time he didn’t have to touch her to
enjoy her becoming blush. His eyes dropped to her mouth when she licked her
lips. He had never wanted to taste a lass so much in his life. When she cleared
her throat, his eyes slowly returned to hers.

“You should
probably stop looking at me like that,” she said.

“Like what?”

“Like we’re here
alone for another reason altogether.”

“Aye,” he
murmured, caught by how the firelight reflecting off the shrubbery behind her
seemed to magnify the pale green in her eyes. Unable to stop himself, he
brushed his thumb down her delicate jawline, eager for far more contact. “May I
kiss you, lass.”

Her eyes widened
slightly. “W-what?”

“Kiss you.” He
ran the pad of his thumb over her lower lip and leaned even closer. “I’ve
wanted to do it since I pulled you onto my horse that first day.”

“Oh,” she
whispered, not shying away.

Wrapping his
hand in her hair, he didn’t kiss her right away but brought his lips close to
her ear and murmured, “I’ve never seen such a bonnie lass.” He flicked his
tongue beneath her dainty earlobe, relishing her quiver. “I’ve never wanted to
touch and taste a lass so much that I cannae think straight.”

“Oh,” she
whispered again, her head tilting to give him more access. God, she tasted warm
and sweet and so bloody soft. He gently peppered kisses along her jaw,
desperate to reach her lips but equally eager to sample everything along the
way. Sharp arousal speared him when her breath hitched and she squeezed her thighs
together. Hell, he had known the lass less than a week and he’d already
imagined a hundred different ways he wanted to make love to her.

At last, his
lips hovered over hers, savoring the heat of her breath, the ravenous
anticipation before he finally…

“Och, m’laird,
ye should have gotten to that sooner,” Machara quipped as she came around the
corner.

Cassie pulled
back sharply and Logan scowled as he redirected his attention to his intrusive
cousin. “What is it?”

Sky Purington is the best-selling
author of seventeen novels and several novellas. A New Englander born and bred,
Sky was raised hearing stories of folklore, myth and legend. When combined with
a love for nature, romance and time-travel, elements from the stories of her youth
found release in her books.

Purington loves to hear from
readers and can be contacted at Sky@SkyPurington.com. Interested in keeping up
with Sky's latest news and releases? V

isit Sky's website,
http://www.skypurington.com to download her free App on iTunes and Android or
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